Love, Honor, and Other Excuses
by crossthesea
Summary: They're not so different. Raised on opposite ends of the social heirarchy both grew up paying for the sins of their parents. They are two sides of the same screwed up coin. But is it really possible to keep your past from interfering with your future? Picks up after 2x10
1. Chapter 1

**_Haven't written fanfic in a while so... yeah, if it sucks, I'm sorry, if not, great! Either way hit me up with a review ;)_**

 ** _Will be multi-chapter. I Love this pairing and the show hiatus is FREAKING FOREVER so I had to write down some one-shots and it just sort of developed into a story._**

 ** _Picks up the night of 2x10. They make it back to the palace and the queen wants answers from the twins on what happened at the stadium._**

* * *

As she sat in the state room across from her mother and brother, Eleanor found herself unable to focus on the conversation. Too much had happened in the past 24 hours. Her brain was unwilling to process any more information.

She didn't even really remember the car ride back to the palace. Or exactly how she'd gotten from the stadium control room to the car. In fact, everything from the video on was a blur.

Except for _him_.

She remembered him.

He was the only thing solid in the chaos that had followed. His presence beside her, his hand in hers, or his arm around her waist, he was there. Protecting her, supporting her, grounding her. And there was a moment there she-

"Eleanor?"

Her Mother's sudden question ripped her from her thoughts.

"Hm?" she replied automatically, before seeing the expectant look on the queen's face and realizing she must have been asked something.

"Sorry, what was the question?"

Her mother sighed before repeating herself, "I asked your opinion on a press release for tomorrow. We need to address this incident promptly."

Eleanor nodded half-heartedly, "Whatever you think is best, Mum."

The queen frowned at her daughter's uncharacteristic lack of opinion. She began to realize how drained her children were.

"Alright, we'll continue this in the morning. Off you go, get some rest." She waved the two of them away.

The princess stood just after her brother to follow him out the door. They fell into stride beside eachother.

"You alright?" Liam asked. He had noticed her mind wandering earlier.

She sighed, " _Peachy._ You?"

Liam chuckled, "about the same."

As they exited the state room antechamber into the grand salon, they found two familiar men in suits talking quietly with each other. Both looked up as they heard the twins approach.

The older man smiled at Eleanor. James had grown rather fond of the princess in his time with her, and the feeling was mutual.

She smiled back before meeting the eyes of the man beside him. They lingered on each other a moment before she forced herself to look away.

"Evening, your highnesses." James greeted.

"Mr. Hill why on earth are you still on duty?" Eleanor chastised mockingly, "You should be home with your daughter."

"Urgent meeting with her majesty about the readjustment of security ranks." He replied with a wry expression.

" _Ah_." She knew too well how her mother expected everyone else to run on her time table.

Liam shook his head in slight disbelief. For how much the queen had changed in the past few months, he was sometimes surprised by how much she was still the same. "Well for what its worth you have my vote for new head of security."

The prince barely got the words out before a yawn over took him. "Sorry." He ran a hand over his face tiredly, "Alright, I need to turn in before I pass out." He admitted "Goodnight gentlemen. Lenny."

He touched his sister affectionately on the arm before walking sluggishly down the hall, leaving her alone with her current and former bodyguards.

"As much as I'll hate to lose you, I agree with Liam." Eleanor added sincerely to her mentor.

"Thank you, princess. Your faith means a lot." He checked his watch casually, "Well, best not keep the queen waiting. Goodnight, Eleanor," He eyed Jasper knowingly, "Frost."

He wasn't late for the meeting, he was actually early, but the tension between the princess and his colleague had _not_ gone unnoticed by him.

Eleanor watched him walk all the way into the state room and shut the door before hesitantly returning her eyes to those of the man infront of her.

He looked at her with an entirely unreadable expression.

How cliché that the boy from Las Vegas would have a perfect poker face.

They stood awkwardly for a moment, unsure how to proceed.

"Hell of a day," he finally said.

She sighed, "Yeah."

Then it fell silent again as they both seemed to have lost their words. They hadn't, they just couldn't say the words they wanted to.

 _I told you to leave._

 _I said I would go._

 _I couldn't press play._

 _I couldn't let you carry that burden._

 _I reached for your hand._

 _I never wanted to let go._

 _I wasn't sure I'd make it out of there._

 _I would never let anything happen to you._

 _I think I might be in love with you._

 _I'm so goddamn in love with you._

It seemed to be a pattern with them. Unspoken words always hanging in the air.

Eventually she couldn't stand it any more. "Well im exhausted so i'd better-" She gestured toward her room.

He nodded, "Ofcourse,"

"Goodnight," she offered awkwardly.

"Goodnight."

With that she turned away and walked swiftly toward her room. She willed the hallway to be shorter.

When she finally reached the door she yanked it open, slipped in, shut it quickly behind her, and leaned back against it hard.

Eleanor kicked herself internally. She was so screwed.

She had tried with all her might to hate him but she couldn't do it. Like bailing out water from a fast sinking ship, it was useless. The more she tried to hate him the fewer reasons she could find to do so. She was beginning to grasp at straws and she knew it.

As infuriating and complicated as it was, she couldn't let him go.

She squeezed her eyes shut. She knew what she was going to do. She'd just been too proud to admit it to herself until now.

 _"dammit,"_ she whispered to herself. She took a deep breath, turned back toward the door, and swung it open.

A pair of piercing blue eyes met hers from the hallway.

She froze in surprise. He lowered his hand from where it was raised to knock on her door and stepped into her room.

"Jasper-" she started.

"No, listen to me." He said sternly, cutting her off, "I am sorry for everything I've done to you. I'm sorry for the blackmail, and your mother, and the diamond, and allowing that bitch anywhere near you, and for the laundry list of other fucked up things I've done, and I am sorry for bringing them up now. And I will apologize everyday for the rest of my life if that's what it takes, but I am done acting like I'm ok with giving up on this. I tried to be the noble guy and do what you said you wanted and leave but I can't because I love you, and I'm pretty damn sure you love me too, even if your too goddamn stubborn to admit it. So if you want me to leave your gonna have to have them drag me away because there is no way I'm walking away from this."

He breathed hard having rushed through his speech, half expecting her to interrupt.

"Are you done?" she asked impatiently.

He squared his shoulders, "Yes."

"Good." She grabbed his tie and pulled him to her.

Their lips met hard. His shock at her touch dissapeared almost instantly and his arms tightened around her waist while hers wrapped around his neck. They kissed fervently, _desperately_ , as if the idea of parting ways had come way too close to reality and needed to be banished from memory. He held her so tight against him it hurt.

Without releasing her from his grip, he reached one arm out behind him to shut the door. He felt his way to the handle and locked it.

They were a mess of limbs as they disrobed each other. She roughly undid his tie and shoved his suit jacket off of his shoulders. He pulled the zipper of her dress down, grabbed the hem, yanked it up over her head, and tossed it carelessly on the floor. She ripped open his shirt, not caring to waist time with buttons, as he unhooked her bra. She made quick work of his belt buckle and zipper, effectively dropping his trousers. He kicked off his shoes with the pants, leaving them both only clad in undergarments.

He pulled her back against him, reclaiming her lips with his, before sliding his hands down under her ass and lifting her up easily. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her across the room to the bed.

He dropped on to the bed with her but was careful to catch himself before crushing her. Her hands tangled in his hair, pulling his lips back to hers with force.

He rolled them so she was on top, straddling him. She suddenly felt dizzy and broke from his embrace to sit back for a moment and catch her breath.

As she looked down at the man beneath her she found herself frozen. She had been in this exact position before under _very_ different circumstances. Suddenly, fear and self-doubt reared their ugly heads.

Jasper immediately sensed the change. He sat up so she was essentially sitting in his lap.

He grabbed the side of her face in one hand. " _Eleanor..._ " he spoke her name barely above a whisper.

"I just-" she scanned his face, his strong brows knit in concern.

She closed her eyes and blew out a shaky breath before looking up the ceiling, trying to blink away the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes. Losing the battle, she looked back down at her hands.

She steeled herself and spoke, "You-" she cleared her throat, "you can't hurt me again, because I don't...- I don't think I could handle it."

Her jaw was tight and her nostrils flared as she tried to breathe slowly through her nose. It was the expression she always had when trying desperately to keep from falling apart. He'd seen her like that too many times. And too many times it had been his fault.

He felt an all too familiar ache in his chest. Like a lump in his throat that instead grew in his heart. It was made of guilt, shame, and self-hate. Even if she could forgive him for what he'd done to her, he would never forgive himself. He knew he didn't deserve a second chance, so now that he had one he was not going to fuck it up.

He brushed a tear off her cheek with his thumb. She hesitantly returned her gaze to his.

"I won't," He swore to her sincerely, " _Never again._ "


	2. Chapter 2

**_Oh my goodness thanks for all the love! You guys make me want to write all day. I'm going to try to update at least once a day so keep checking back!_**

* * *

She woke to the feeling of his arm wrapped around her midriff and his breath on the back of her neck.

She tried to fight the smile that played at her lips. She knew he was asleep, but even so she did not want to give him the satisfaction.

She closed her eyes again, trying to stay in the peaceful bliss of the moment for as long as possible. There were too many things she would have to face once she got up.

 _Knock knock knock_

Her eyes shot open at the sound of three sharp raps on her door.

Someone jiggled the handle.

She shot up like a rocket.

"Lenny you in there?" Liams voice called from the hallway.

 _"Shit. Shit shit shit!"_ she cursed in a whisper as she shoved Jasper hard multiple times.

 _"Jesus Len."_ He groaned as he sat up.

 _"Get up!"_ She whisper-screamed at him, quickly getting out of bed.

"Just a minute!" She called to her brother while scrambling to find clothes. "I uh, just got out of the shower!"

She only had on a bra and panties so she grabbed a dressing robe and slipped it on.

Jasper, only in his boxer-briefs, moved to the edge of the bed, grabbed his pants and started to pull them on a leg at a time.

She tied the waist sash of her robe roughly. _"_ _Get in the closet."_

 _"Seriously,"_ he said incredulously.

 _"Get. In. The closet!"_

He rolled his eyes but did as she said, opening the secret entrance and ducking into the room. She quickly gathered all his pieces of clothing.

He gave her a look that clearly said _This is ridiculous he's going to figure it out_. She just threw his clothes in his face and shut the fake armoire.

She did a once over of the room before hurrying over to the door. She swung it open and raised her eyebrows at the prince.

"My dear brother what is it that brings you here at this god forsaken hour?"

He chuckled, "Its 10 am"

She frowned, "Really?"

"Really." He mused.

"Huh," She rarely slept past eight. "anyway, why are you here?"

"Do you know where Jasper is?" He asked, "I can't find him and he's not answering his phone."

"Nope. Haven't seen him." she replied coolly.

He would have believed her but something behind her caught his eye.

He stared her down. She should know better than to try to lie to him.

"Weird, he's just sort of dissappeared."

"He's been known to do that." she replied impatiently, hoping to wrap up the conversation.

"True." He concuded, letting her think she was safe, "Oh well, Mind if I use your loo? I drank way too much tea this morning."

She froze. "Um, ya know, the toilets broken."

"Really?" He asked. Obviously unfooled.

"Yeah, something wrong with the pipes, no running water."

"Huh." He said puzzledly. "So how'd you shower?"

She froze. "Hm?"

"You said you just got out of the shower"

She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. She couldn't find the words to dig her self out of that one.

He smiled triumphantly and turned to leave having recieved the answer to his question.

"Tell Jasper to check his voicemail." He called behind him.

"How? I dont know where he is!" She yelled after him.

"You missed his tie." He informed her before rounding a corner and dissappearing out of sight.

She whirled around to scan her room before eyeing her vanity which had a rather obvious black tie hanging off the mirror. " _dammit_."

She shut the door and relocked it. She turned back towards her room and nearly jumped out of her skin. Jasper lay on her bed scrolling through his phone like he'd been there the whole time.

"Don't do that!" She scolded him.

He smirked but didn't look up from the screen. She walked over to the vanity and picked up his tie.

"Looks like Hill got the job." He announced as he pocketed his phone and stood from the bed. He walked toward her.

"I'm not surprised." She sighed, leaning against the vanity, "I suppose Hagrid is already on his way."

"Hill had conditions for taking the job." He said, arriving in front of her and grabbing her waist to pull her against him, "One them was that I be transferred back to you."

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Something about not trusting anyone else with your protection." He smirked, "Your mother told him it's only if you agree, but given last night I said you were on board."

She smacked him lightly for that comment, "What about Liam?"

"Hill somehow managed to wrangle Marcus back into his old job. He'll be arriving within the hour."

She huffed and shook her head. She should have known James would be ten steps ahead of her, he always was.

His phone buzzed. He looked annoyed but pulled it out and checked it.

She sighed, "Let me guess, you have to be somewhere very important very quickly."

"Mandatory security-wide breifing in 15 minutes."

She groaned and dropped her head against his chest. She knew the day would be a whirlwind in the wake of the previous days events. "Any update on Pryce?" She mumbled into his shirt.

"Still critical, but stable."

She looked back up at him, "Can you ask James about Phe? I know we sent a jet for her but I'm still worried."

He nodded and kissed her forehead before releasing her and stepping away to pick his jacket up off the bed.

"I should be back by noon but I'll text you if anything changes." He said heading towards the door, "Oh and were still on lockdown so don't leave the palace."

She followed after him, "I know what lockdown means Jasper."

He stopped in the hallway just outside, "Really? because I seem to remember breaking a certain someone out of here during the last one."

"And I seem to remember it wasn't my idea," She said leaning against the door frame.

His eyes narrowed at her, "Just stay in the palace, ok Len?" He said before kissing her breifly and turning to walk away.

"Hypocrite" She scoffed.

"Love you too." He called behind him before slipping into the tunnel passageway.

 _"Cheeky bastard,"_ she muttered under her breath as she shut the door.

She decided to shower and wash the feeling of sex off her body. Not that it was a bad feeling, just not one she preferred to face her mother with. The queen had an uncanny sixth sense about things like that. Growing up under her roof and trying to keep any sort of secret was like playing go fish against an expert poker player.

She wasn't in any hurry so she took her time, letting the water fall over her longer than necessary. When she finally decided she was done she exited the shower and dried herself off before grabbing a robe. She blow-dried her hair and loosely curled it before putting on some make-up. She kept it relatively natural with a light smoky eye and nude lip. Content with her reflection, she entered her closet to get dressed. She settled on a pair of leather leggings and a soft oversized grey sweater. She obviously wasn't going anywhere so she kept it casual. She slipped on her white converse sneakers and exited the closet.

She grabbed her phone off the bed to check her texts.

 _Ophelia will be landing at 1 pm._

She checked the time. 11:05. Two hours to wait.

She left her room and made her way toward her mother's quarters. She eventually found her in her study at her desk, intently scribbling on royal parchment.

"Good morning, Eleanor. How did you sleep?" The queen greeted, not looking up from the letter she was writing.

"Fine, thanks." she said, plopping down in the chair across from her mum.

Her mother expertly folded the piece of paper before slipping it into an envelope and sealing it with deep red wax. She placed it on a stack of similar letters and looked at her daughter.

"I hear Mr. Frost is returning to your detail." She said with a slight smile, not trying very hard to conceal her amusement.

She just had to bring that up. "Yes he is and if you sleep with him this time I may test the limits of my diplomatic immunity. Tell me does it cover matricide?"

Her mother sighed, "Always the comedienne, Eleanor."

"Well some one has to make up for your sunny disposition." She said with a obviously false smile.

Her stomach growled. "Well, this has been a nice chat but I need food." She said before standing to leave.

"Eat something with fat in it. Your getting too thin, it's unattractive."

" _Yes, my queen!_ " she said dramatically, curtsying for effect.

Helena rolled her eyes and Eleanor smirked as she turned to leave. Annoying her mother was one of her greatest joys in life.

"Eleanor," the queen called after her.

The princess paused at the door and looked back at her mother.

"I'm happy that you've chosen love." She smiled warmly at her daughter.

Eleanor smiled back. "Thanks, mum." She said sincerely before exiting and closing the door behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Sorry guys I meant to post this earlier but I kept tweaking different parts of it and it ended up being like 3 chapters long so I had to cut it into pieces. But the good news is that means lots of updates very soon! I can't wait for you guys to see where the story is headed._**

 ** _Also, random, but who here has heard the new Lumineers single 'Ophelia'? Its like it was written for the damn character._**

 ** _P.S. Reviews are love ;)_**

* * *

Eleanor decided to go down to the kitchens instead of waiting for something to be brought up. Patience was not a virtue she had been blessed with.

She was pleased to find the kitchens mostly empty. Only one cook, a middle aged frenchman named Luca, remained after breakfast to begin preparations for lunch. He smiled when he noticed her and pulled out a tea pot and cup.

She sat down on one of the stools at the counter. The cook grabbed a tin of tea and scooped some into the pot before removing a kettle from the stove and pouring in hot water. He placed the pot and cup down gently infront of her. She smiled at him gratefully.

As she waited for the tea to steep he opened the large industrial refrigerator. He pulled out a carton of eggs, some milk, and butter. He grabbed a bowl off a shelf and cracked two eggs into it expertly with one hand. He added a splash of the milk and some salt and pepper before grabbing a whisk and beating them into a creamy yellow froth. She watched intently, mesmerized by his skillful ease.

He set a pan on the stove top and lit it, then scooped in a bit of butter and swirled it around to coat it. After letting the butter melt he poured in the eggs. He let the them heat slightly before swirling them around vigorously with a spatula. He let the eggs cook until he looked satisfied -she had no idea how he could tell when they were perfect- before banging the pan lightly on the stove, and gently folding them into an omelet.

He turned and slid it onto a plate on the counter before breifly returning to the fridge to retrieve a green bundle of chives. He placed it on a cutting board, grabbed a knife, and chopped them up quicker than she thought humanly possible. He scooped up the herbs onto the knife and sprinkled them on the omelet before placing the finished product next to her tea cup and saying, "Pour ma belle princesse."

"Merci, Luca." she thanked him dearly. He winked at her before wiping his hands on a dish towel and walking into one of the adjacent kitchens.

She grabbed the fork and scooped up a bite of the omelet. It was heavenly, just like everything Luca ever made. She grabbed the petite tea pot and poured some tea into her cup.

She saw a familiar figure approach out of the corner of her eye.

"Back to stalking me, are we Jasper?" she asked tauntingly without looking up from her breakfast.

"Something like that." He replied dryly as walked toward her.

She glanced at the clock. 11:35.

"You're back early," she observed, meeting his eyes.

"Hill got a call and rushed out." He said taking a seat next to her, "I don't want to know how many crises the man is probably dealing with today."

She nodded and took another bite of her eggs. Undoing Pryce's mess had to be a hell of a job.

Jasper reached for her tea cup but she swatted his hand away.

"Get your own!" She whined, pulling it out of his reach.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to share, princess?" he chastised.

"Nope." She answered smugly between sips.

He shook his head in mock disbelief and muttered to himself, "I shouldn't ask questions I already know the answer to."

"Hill didn't say when he would be back but he left me in charge of coordinating security until he does so I-"

"No. Nononono No." She cut him off, "You are not abandoning me after less than 10 hours on my detail Jasper Frost!"

He wasn't one for dramatics like eye rolls but he almost made an exception. "It's just for the day Len you'll be fine"

"I swear to god if you assign me Shrek you are never getting laid again," She threatened.

"Hey I would gladly assign you someone else but unfortunately he's the only one that hasn't filed a complaint of harassment against you, princess."

"Oh please I'm a joy to work with," she

He raised an eyebrow, "You're hell to work with and you know it,"

"Yeah and you missed it like crazy." she teased.

Suddenly his expression darkened and his gaze on her intensified. "Yes. I did."

She felt her heart jump. His eyes did things to her. They were so piercing, especially when they were focused on her.

She held his gaze. God she'd missed him too. So much it was unbearable. She wasn't lying when she told him it was too hard to see him everyday. Being near him but not being with him was agonizing, and having him back in her life for mere hours felt like being able to breath again. Not that she'd ever let _him_ know that.

She swiveled her seat toward him and reached up to lace her fingers behind his neck. "I _might_ have _possibly_ missed your company as well bodyguard." she admitted, looking up at him flirtatiously.

"Might?" He challenged, rising from his seat to slip his hands around her waist. He stood between her legs and pulled roughly her to the edge of her seat so her crotch pressed against his thigh. His face was now just inches from hers and he could hear her breath shorten. He lowered his head so his mouth was right by her ear and spoke softly, "You didn't sound so uncertain last night."

Just like that he pulled away and headed towards the door, leaving her breathless.

As she watched him away she scoffed, trying to think of a witty comeback. She came up empty.

"Ophelia will be here around 1:20. _Try_ to be in the entrance hall before then." He instructed her before dissapearing through the door.

She stabbed at her omlelet, and cursed him under her breath for how easily he could fluster her.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Your guys' reviews are making me so happy! So glad you like it!**_

 _ **As promised here's another chapter! (I'm going to try to post another by the end of the night but we'll see if I can finish it)**_

* * *

Eleanor stood with her brother looking out the large antique window next to the main door. Ophelia would be arriving any minute. They had wanted to meet her at her car but they couldn't cross the threshhold during a lockdown, so instead Jasper and Marcus were the welcoming party on the stairs.

Across the courtyard the palace gates suddenly swung open and a black SUV pull onto the gravel circuit.

Liam's nerves started to get to him, "She probably hates me, Len. I'm the reason her father is in a medically-induced coma."

"That's on all of us Liam, not just you. And her father is the reason ours is dead, but we don't hate her do we?"

He nodded. His sister was right, Ophelia was probably more concerned with what her father had done to the king than she was with what they had done to expose him. Still, he felt incredibly guilty.

They watched as the car came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. Marcus opened Ophelia's door and she stepped out into the sun. Liams breath hitched. She looked beautiful. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun and she wore a simple white shift dress. She embraced Marcus affectionately. Liam wished he could be the one greeting her.

A familiar face came around from the other side of the car and opened the trunk to get their bags. Liam sighed. He should have assumed Nick would accompany her. Facing everything her father had done, she was going to need moral support.

Jasper and Marcus assisted them with the bags and headed up the stairs to the palace. Nick grabbed Ophelia's hand reassuringly and followed behind them.

Eleanor stepped away from the window and pulled her brother with her. They stopped in the front center of the great hall facing the large door. The prince took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

 _Here we go._ he thought.

Moments later it slowly swung open and the two bodyguards entered with the luggage. Their anticipated guests followed a few steps behind. Ophelia paused when she saw the twins, she felt like running all the way back to the states, but she forced herself to walk over to them with her chin up.

She stopped a few feet from the royal heirs. Nick squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Hi," she greeted nervously.

"Hey," Liam replied with equal apprehension. Nick eyed him warily. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement.

They all stood in tense silence for a moment.

Eleanor was the one to finally speak up. "It's really good to see you Phe."

Ophelia sighed and looked down at her feet. When she raised her eyes again there were tears welling in them, "So you don't hate me?"

Eleanor scoffed, "God no! It's us who should be asking you that!" She insisted, stepping forward to pull her friend into a tight hug.

"Len- I'm so sorry. My dad- I- I had no idea." Ophelia uttered shakily.

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry for." Eleanor assured her before releasing the girl from her embrace to offer a slight smile. "Come. We'll talk more over tea."

She slipped her arm through the girl's and led her toward the drawing room.

The prince and Nick stood awkwardly for a moment before turning to follow the women. They had previously gotten along, but Nick's expression didn't seem as friendly this time around.

Liam understood why. He had just shattered his girlfriend's world.

They walked behind the girls into the room where tea had already been set out for them. Eleanor gestured for Ophelia and her boyfriend to take one settee and the twins headed to the one opposite them.

As they settled into their seats Marcus and Jasper entered and posted themselves on either side of the entryway.

Liam chuckled, "Guys, as much as I appreciate protocol, I think both of you are passed formalities at this point."

They glanced at eachother before breaking position and walking towards the sitting area. Marcus took the closer chair, near Liam and Nick, and Jasper headed for the farther chair between the two women. He and Eleanor shared a brief but telling look as he sat down.

Liam laughed internally. Even when they were silent they were obvious.

Now that they were all seated tea could be served, but no one reached for it. It seemed too cheerful an activity for the somber atmosphere.

"So how are you?" Liam finally asked, "I'm sorry I know it's a stupid question, but asking if you're ok seems worse. You're obviously not ok."

"It's fine, really." she said politely. "Mostly I'm... in shock. I just don't know what to think, or do, or say, i just-" she stopped herself as her voice cracked and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Nick put a hand on her knee. She took a breath before continuing. "I have so many questions."

Eleanor's heart broke for the girl. "Well you can ask us anything you want and we will answer to the best of our ability."

Ophelia took a moment, thinking before she spoke.

"I don't know where to start," she admitted.

"What, this isn't typical afternoon tea conversation for you?" Liam asked ironically.

She smiled slightly, grateful to him for easing a bit of the pressure.

"Ok." she began, "the last thing I had heard was that Lucius had confessed. Why did he do that when he was innocent?"

"Honestly, were not sure. The best we can tell is that he did it out of some twisted sense of duty to the crown." Liam answered.

"How did you learn it wasn't him?" she asked.

"Jasper discovered that the security camera timelines didn't match up so Lucius couldn't have done it."

She took a deep breath. "How did you find out it was my dad?"

"Jasper figured out the location of the attack and found a hidden camera that had captured footage of the whole thing."

Nick looked over at the bodyguard. "They gonna knight you?" He asked sarcastically.

Jasper shook his head. "Have to be a british citizen to be knighted." he answered plainly.

His familiar accent shocked Ophelia. "You're American?" Not waiting for Jasper's response, she looked at Eleanor _._

The princess sighed, "It's a long story for another time."

Ophelia decided to let it go. Things were already confusing enough. She returned to her train of thought.

"I'm trying to assume you had a good reason, but why would you play the footage on live televison instead of giving it to the police? and don't say it's complicated."

"Do you remember that necklace with a domino symbol on it?" Liam asked.

She nodded, "The one you had on when I found you in the park."

"Yes." he confirmed. "We know what the symbol means now. A long time ago, when my father first became king, he was in love with a girl named Dominique Stewart, or _Domino_ for short. She was supposed to be his queen."

Ophelia was genuinely surprised. She knew first hand how deceptive the monarchy was, but everyone in the world knew the love story of King Simon and Queen Helena. She had never heard of this other woman.

"What happened?"

"Our grandmother had her killed." he told her grimly.

"Oh my god," she wasn't expecting that. "Why?"

"Because she needed the money and her daughter was of a marriageable age." Eleanor spoke bitterly. "and the competition was too strong."

"That's horrible." Ophelia spoke softly. Helena had such a hardness to her. She had never considered the reason behind it. She was getting off topic though. "How does that relate to my father?"

"Dominique had a younger brother." The princess continued. "He was only a boy when she died and it completely devestated him."

Liam looked at Ophelia with soft eyes, "He never forgot how the person he loved the most was taken from him because of the royal family."

Realization swept over her features, "Like my father."

Liam nodded, "Jeffrey Stewart saw a kindred spirit in your father and used that. He had him place hidden cameras around the palace and got video of the grand duchess admitting to the murder of his sister. But he didn't stop there. He wanted vengeance, not justice. He got footage of all of us at our worst, and he was planning to broadcast it at the stadium to turn the crowds, and the nation, against us."

"And my dad helped him." the lump in her throat returned with force.

Liam swallowed his rage for a moment and spoke the words she needed to hear. "I know it's no consolation, but in the end I don't think he wanted to. He said that they would go after you if he stopped doing what they said."

Tears threatened to spill over her lashes. "Liam he killed your father-"

He clenched his jaw. "I know, and I will _never_ forgive him for that, but for all the things he did I don't think he ever meant to hurt you, and I think it's important you know that."

Tears began to stream steadily down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head as sobs began to rack her body.

Nick quickly wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his shoulder.

He held her for a minute before looking up and saying, "I think thats enough for today."

Liam nodded, but didn't move.

Neither did Len.

None of them did.

They all sat paralyzed in guilt and sympathy for the poor young girl who had now lost both parents to the Henstridge monarchy.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Sorry this chapter is short, but I don't think you'll mind. It's a shortie but a goodie._**

 ** _Thanks for the reviews, they keep me going! You guys are seriously the best._**

* * *

It took Ted Pryce's body 4 days to decide whether or not it would call it quits. They had said it was about fifty/fifty whether or not he would pull through with his extensive internal bleeding and head trauma, but on the fourth day he opened his eyes.

Eleanor would never admit how relieved she was to hear that. She didn't think she could handle being even partially responsible for killing a man. Sending him to prison for the rest of his life? Sure, but not death.

Ophelia had decided to stay in London until her fathers condition changed, and now that it had, she would be flying back to New York. She would stay there until a trial date could be set.

Len didn't blame her for avoiding the british paps. They could be agressive when they 'liked' you. And if they didn't? They were downright vicious.

James Hill still hadn't returned from where ever the hell he was. Aside from her annoyance at being stuck with Chewbacca for a bodyguard, Eleanor was beginning to become genuinely concerned by his absence.

She was in bed asleep next to Jasper when suddenly his phone rang.

He propped himself up and reached for the device on the night table.

"Whoever that is, I'm going to have them arrested for treason." She grumbled as she rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.

He looked at the caller ID on the screen and sat up. "It's Hill."

 _That_ woke her up. She sat up as well.

"Frost," He quickly answered the call.

She couldn't quite here what James was saying on the other line but she watched Jasper's face.

"Now?" he asked in surprise, looking over at the clock. 3:13 am. James said something else and Jasper replied "Yes sir." before hanging up and looking back over at Eleanor.

"So what did he say?" she asked impatiently.

"To get you and meet him in the queen's quarters immediately."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. That was a new one.

"Why?" she asked, thoroughly confused.

He shook his head. "Didn't say."

"Ok, what the hell?"

"Honestly I have no idea, but we gotta go."

She sighed dramatically and flopped back down on her pillow. "This better be damn important."

"I doubt he would call us at 3 am if it wasn't," he replied as he got out of bed and started to re-dress.

She forced herself to get up and get ready as well.

She briefly entered her closet, grabbed a t-shirt, sweatpants, and her uggs, and returned to her room. She was _not_ in the mood to try.

She pulled them all on and headed over to Jasper who was standing by the door. He opened it for her and gestured for her to exit first.

"Such a gentlemen." she said sarcastically as she exited.

He followed her out and closed the door behind them. He easily caught up and fell into stride beside her.

As they walked toward the queens chambers, suddenly Liam and Marcus came around the corner up ahead.

"Hill call you?" Jasper asked his colleague.

Marcus nodded, "Do you know what for?"

He shook his head. "He wasn't very forthcoming with details," he answered as they turned to continue walking.

Liam looked exhausted. He ran a hand over his face and sighed. "Well What the hell could be so important that it couldn't wait for bloody daylight?"

"And why do you and I both have to be here?" Eleanor grumbled, "I swear to god if this is some kind of fucked up ambush-style family therapy session, I'm jumping off the balcony."

They finally reached the antechamber that lead to the queens apartments.

The door to her mothers sitting room was closed and a two-man security detail was posted out side.

"Curiouser and curiouser." Eleanor spoke softly as they approached.

Jasper nodded at the taller one whom Eleanor 'affectionately' called by a myriad of names. The large man nodded back and turned to open the doors for them.

As they entered the room the queen rose from her seat.

The look on her face was a rare one. It almost appeared as though she'd been crying. However she was smiling, and from what Eleanor could tell it seemed genuine.

James stood at the side of the room, and a man with short, dark hair sat across from the queen with his back to them. His silhouette was hauntingly familiar.

As the princess slowly neared him the similarity began to gnaw at her.

Suddenly, the man followed the queen's example and stood to face them.

Jasper only recognized the man in front of them from photos. That, and the man's striking resemblance to the woman he loved.

The air left Eleanors lungs.

 _"Robbie?"_


	6. Chapter 6

**_Sorry for that cliffhanger!_ _eh, no I'm not ;) but I am sorry this next chapter took so long to post. I've been away for a few days but I just got back and I'm ready to update update update!_**

 ** _Soooo excited to finally be introducing Robert to the story! He's so much fun to write because the possibilities are endless. I based my version of him off of Jaz Martin who played him in the season finale and who I can only assume will play him next season as well._**

 ** _P.s. Check out his IMDB page he looks like a goddamn british ryan reynolds. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _"Robbie?"_

Eleanor's breath accelerated as she struggled to understand what was happening.

"Hey troublemaker," her brother greeted warmly.

She didn't believe her eyes. "Your _alive_?"

"It appears so, yes," he answered with a wry smile.

She rushed toward him and threw her arms around his neck.

He embraced her tightly as she wept into his shoulder. "I missed you too, Lenny" he whispered.

She laughed and sobbed as she breathed in his familiar scent. Suddenly, memories if the past year over came her. She pulled back to look up at her brother tearfully.

"Dad's gone Robbie," she choked out.

"I know," He said sadly, "I am so sorry I couldn't be here."

She nodded as she broke down again, weeping against his chest.

The moment felt rather private, so Jasper and Marcus stepped away to stand with James near the wall.

As Robert comforted his sister, he looked up to find his brother.

Liam looked as though he was trying very hard to disern whether or not he was still dreaming.

Robert reluctantly let go of Eleanor and passed her to their mother's arms before stepping toward him.

"The boy who would be king," he teased gently.

The words broke Liam from his haze. The prince all but lunged toward his older brother and pulled him into a firm hug.

Robert squeezed his brother just as hard in return.

"Sorry to muck up those plans, mate," he said sincerely.

Liam chuckled with tears in his eyes. "You know I would've given a thousand crown's to see you again."

The brothers let go of eachother and Robert clapped him on the shoulder affectionately before gesturing for them to sit down. Eleanor returned to his side on the settee and Liam took the seat next to their mother.

They sat in a brief silence as they tried to figure out where to start.

" _How?_ " Eleanor finally asked. It was the only question she couldn't answer. She knew the _who, where, when,_ and _why_ of the attack from Boone, but she couldn't figure out just _how_ her brother could still be alive.

Robert laughed humorlessly, "It's a long story."

"Your plane was in pieces." Liam remembered painfully.

"I ejected."

"But they brought back your body..." Eleanor spoke quietly.

He looked guilty at that, "I don't know who's it was."

Liam shook his head, "You went down in the middle of the ocean. Even if you ejected- "

"I was in the open water," he nodded, "and I wasn't in good shape either. When I bailed out I was too low and there wasn't enough time for the chute to open fully. Broke both legs hitting the water. "

"Shite," Liam winced.

"How the hell did you make it to shore?" His sister asked intently.

"Well I knew I was roughly 20 miles off the Lincolnshire coast when I first lost controls, so I used the sun to find west and started swiming as best I could with just my arms."

" _Christ_ , Robert," Helena breathed, shocked by his admission.

Even Jasper shook his head in disbelief. The man had to be a tough son-of-a-bitch to survive that.

"Must have floated for atleast a day before I saw land again," he continued. "When I finally hit the sand I was so exhausted I passed out for I-dunno-how long, and when I finally woke up again the pain-" His voice tapered off for a moment as he relived the traumatic memory. "The amount of pain was unreal."

Eleanor felt nauseous. The idea of her brother in agony for hours was horrifying.

He took a deep breath an continued, "By the grace of god fisherman found me not long after."

"Did he know who you were?"

"Yeah, and it took alot of convincing to keep him from calling 999," he replied.

"How'd you do it?" Liam wondered aloud.

"I may or may not have promised him a favor of his choosing." He looked over at his mother. "How attached are you to the yacht?"

Helena bit her tongue. She reminded herself that whatever brought him back to her was what had to be done.

"But why not let him call an ambulance?" Eleanor asked.

"Trust me I wanted to, but as you've apparently heard, the crash wasn't an accident, and I was starting to figure it out then." he told her. "When I was going down, not _one_ of my controls were responding. All my instruments gave every indication they were working and yet I was in a nose dive with a dead centre-stick. The only thing that can kill manual controls while keeping systems online like that is a remote over-ride. My aircraft was on an encrypted RAF override system. Only someone from within Cranwell or Brize Norton could have that access. That meant either someone in the military, or someone with enough influence to buy military assistance, wanted me dead, so I wasn't in a rush to let them know I wasn't."

"How are you not, like, severely crippled?" she asked awkwardly.

"Turned out he was a retired veterinarian," he half-chuckled. "He checked me out and said he'd need to bring me back to his house to set the fractures and get me rehydrated, but that he thought I should live."

"He took you to his home?" Liam was surprised.

He nodded. "Gave his wife the shock of a lifetime."

"Why didn't you use their phone to call someone at the palace?" his mother pressed him.

"I did." he sighed, "I called Ted."

Everyone was visibly shocked at that piece of information.

Liam bristled, "Your saying Pryce knew you were alive?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Robert told him, "I only got his voicemail, but the next day a man showed up, not Pryce and no one I'd seen before, claiming to be MI5 and asking very specific questions."

"How were you sure he wasn't MI5?"

"Because when he didn't get the answers he wanted he beat the shit out of the guy and held his wife at gunpoint." He grew angry as he spoke. "He ordered the men with him to search the house and kill _'him'_ who I can only assume was me. They didn't have badges, they didn't even wear suits, they were just men with guns." he said with disgust.

" _Domino,_ " Liam spoke as the thought dawned on him.

"Given what I've been told, that would be my guess," Robert replied bitterly, clearly still irked by the memory. "Luckily they had a small, make-shift cellar beneath the kitchen that you could only get into through a trap door. They lowered me in and covered it with a rug. No one was the wiser and the men eventually left." He sighed, "They were good people. They took me in when they didn't have to."

Helena scoffed, "You're the crown prince of England of course they had to."

"No. They didn't. They could have just called an ambulance or dropped me at the nearest hospital. Instead, they brought me into their home, fed me, clothed me, and nursed me back to health on their own time and budget. Even after my legs healed, they helped me get my strength back before letting me leave. And when I finally did they gave me the keys to their old truck and what cash they had on them, trusting me to pay it back. They didn't _have_ to do any of that." Robert said adamantly, effectively shutting his mother up.

Eleanor tried to hide her smile. She admired both her brother's gratitude to the couple and his honesty with their mother. The queen sometimes needed to be reminded that the people didn't owe them anything.

However in the spirit of reunion she decided to break the tension. "How long did you stay with them?" Eleanor asked.

"About 2 months," he answered. "Then I headed home. Or tried to, at least. I'd just reached London when suddenly every radio station was reporting that Dad was attacked. I assumed it had to be the same men, and didn't think it was safe for any of us if I returned before figuring out what the hell was going on."

Eleanor was shocked to hear his brother had been so close to home when all hell broke loose. "Where did you go?" he asked.

"No where. I stayed in London and started digging. Trying to find any clue that pointed to who could have done this. I didn't have much to go off of on the military side, but I had committed the gunmens' license plate to memory," Robert told him."Took me 6 months to finally track it down, only to find out it belonged to a 21-year-old girl in Brixton."

Liam sighed as he put two and two together, "Dominique."

He nodded. "I was rather confused as to how I ended up casing a girl at tattoo shop," he admitted. "Until the man who tried to kill me showed up."

"Jeffrey Stewart, her father." Liam confirmed.

"I spent the next 3 months following him, watching him, and digging up whatever I could on him and why he wanted our family dead."

"Did you find out?" Eleanor asked gently, knowing the gut-wrenching reason.

"Yes, as much as I didn't want to believe it." he answered sadly. "

The one thing I couldn't figure out was Pryce. I knew he was involved, I'd seen him meet with stewart, but the man had all the resources to cover his tracks and I didn't think I would ever be able to pin him down," he admitted before looking right at Liam. "At least until I saw you, on the news, playing the video of him stabbing our father."

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way," Liam apologized.

Robert shook his head, "Don't be. I was already suspicious. Lucius was obviously a patsy, and it was killing me not knowing what really happened. And had you not done it publicly, I may not have known when Ted was out of the picture, giving me the chance to come back without Domino knowing."

"How _did_ you get back?" Eleanor asked.

"Honestly? I walked into Thames House and asked the receptionist for the director-general's office," he chuckled.

"No shit," Liam huffed.

"Yeah, they were surprised to put it lightly. The spent the next 48 hours locked in an office being interrogated to prove who I was and where I'd been."

"What did you tell them?" The queen asked carefully.

Robert sighed, "If you're asking if I told them about Domino... no, Mother, I did not. I figured this country already hates our family enough. Adding the murder of a beloved socialite who was meant to be queen wouldn't do us any favors."

His mother looked guilty but relieved.

He returned to his train of thought. "Once they were finally convinced I was me, they called the palace. James and Mum were looped in at that point but it still took another 2 days for MI5 to make sure everything could be secured for a transport," he continued. "Everything had to be kept quiet, even from other law enforcement, military, and intelligence agencies. No one could know I was being transported until it was already done, and even though it's only a 15 minute drive, it's through the most populated part of London. Which is why we're here in the middle of the night; daylight was to risky."

"And now you're here." Eleanor spoke softly, still trying to fully believe it.

Robert smiled at his little sister. "And now I'm here."

Liam sighed heavily, "And thank god you are, it's been a shit-show without you."

His brother scoffed, "Oh please. You were doing fine. Seen the hashtags lately King Liam?"

"Haven't you heard? we're illegitimate," Liam countered, gesturing toward his sister.

"Rubbish. I never believed that for a second," Robert huffed incredulously.

He shot a brief side-eye toward Helena, then shook his head, "But that doesn't matter now. Everything is about to change. I'm going to take back the throne from our sad excuse of an uncle, and my first act as king will be to call for a referendum to abolish the monarchy," He swore. "It's what dad would have wanted, and it's the right thing to do after the shite-storm that Cyrus has brought on this country."

Eleanor had forgotten about their uncle. "Does he know your alive?" she asked.

" _No_." Helena answered firmly for him, "and we've gone to great lengths to keep it that way until the time is right. The less time he has to scheme, the better."

"Probably wise," Eleanor mumbled.

"When do we go public?" Liam asked his brother.

"I was actually going to ask you two," he told his siblings. "alot has happened in the past few weeks and I completely understand if you want to give it time."

The twins looked at eachother.

Eleanor was fairly sure they were thinking the same thing.

She sat up a bit and spoke, "Well, I can't speak for Liam, but I personally have had more than enough of 'King' Cyrus."

Robert looked to his brother expectantly.

Liam smirked. "Amen to that."


	7. Chapter 7

**_Helloooo everyone. I'm sorry it took me forever to get this one up. Hopefully I'll be more diligent about updating this week. Love you guys!_**

* * *

The twins stayed and talked to their brother for the entire rest of the night.

Turns out when someone's been 'dead' for a year there is quite a bit to catch up on.

They filled him in on the past year in their lives, and he returned the favor. They discussed the big things like Domino, Pryce, and Cyrus, but also went over sports, politics and everything else they thought they'd never have the chance to.

Above all else, they talked about their father.

It seemed like everything paled in comparison to the loss of the great man.

It wasn't until the sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn that the long lost prince decided it was time to turn in. His siblings were reluctant to leave his side but knew he needed rest, and they did as well. Like Robert had said before, everything was going to change, and soon.

Jasper sat on Eleanor's bed with his shirtless back against the headboard.

After ensuring the safety of the family, the security had decided to give them some privacy, so he'd returned to the room with the idea of sleep.

No such luck.

Instead he sat staring blankly across the dark room at the door, waiting for her to walk through it.

Robert's return was a wildcard that Jasper hadn't expected to be dealt. It's not that he wasn't thrilled to find out Robert was alive, but the prince was a huge threat to everything he'd been trying to build with Eleanor.

The thing was, he had done some really fucked up stuff, and he knew in all honesty he should probably have been in prison rather than in the princess's bed. If Robert was told the whole truth about him, he honestly didn't think that what he'd done to make amends could out-weigh the crimes he had committed.

He was happy for the family's reunion, truly, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn't realized how much time had gone by until the edges of the curtains began to glow with the rising sun. He glanced at the clock. 6:24 am.

Not a minute later the door quietly opened and she slipped inside. She closed it behind her before looking up at him witha blank expression.

"Hey," she greeted with a small, clearly forced smile.

"Hey," he replied with slight surprise in his voice. He sat up and moved toward the edge of the bed. He'd thought over alot of Eleanor's possible reactions in his head in the past 2 hours, but melancholic reserve wasn't one of them.

She walked across the room slowly, and the nearer to him she got the even more apparent it was to him that something was wrong. She tried to walk past him to her closet but he shot his hand out and grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"Len..." his voice pleaded with her not to shut him out. She was purposefully avoiding his gaze and he knew it. He could hear her shaky breathing and see her clenched jaw.

She finally looked at him. His brows were knit with worry and his stormy blue eyes were watching her intently. She knew she couldn't hide from him.

"I know I don't seem happy, but really I am." she swore in a strained voice, trying to convince herself as much as him. " _So_ incredibly happy. Everything is wonderful it's just.." she had to pause to try and swallow the lump in her throat. It wasn't working. Tears welled in her eyes against her will. "I can't help but feel like it's not going to last."

He slowly pulled her closer to him. "Why wouldn't it?" he asked gently.

The tears began to stream down her face. "Because _it never does._ " She could hardly get the words out as she broke down into sobs.

He stood and pulled her into his embrace. She buried her face in his neck as his arms wrapped around her.

His heart broke as he felt her slight frame shake. The mask of a strong, fierce, woman had crumbled away to reveal the fragile girl who'd had her heart broken one too many times by the cruel, aloof world she'd been born into. A world with the promise of everything you could ever want but nothing you really need.

He didn't know all the details of her past but what he did know was that she had been let down by everyone and everything she'd ever put her faith in. The other shoe always dropped. There was no reason for her to think this time would be any different.

He let her cry it out into his shoulder, until her breath evened out a bit and the stream of tears lightened. He waited for her to speak, not pushing her faster than she was willing to go. Eventually she broke the silence.

"When we first lost Robbie I was a mess." The tears threatened her eyes again and she pulled back from his shoulder to take a deep breath. Her voice was shaky when she continued. "and when my dad died I... I didn't think I would survive it, and honestly I probably wouldn't have if you hadn't followed me around the world," she admitted, "but I did survive it and-" Her voice broke as she couldn't fight the tears anymore and the words began to tumble out of her mouth. "And I was just getting my bearings back but it turns out Robbie's alive and everything is going to change again _yes_ for the better but nothing is ever that simple and I'm not sure I can survive another false hope." Her voice cracked on her last word and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and regain some semblance of control.

She furiously wiped her tears away and scoffed cynically, "God look at me, Roberts alive and I'm crying for myself. I'm such a piece of shit."

"No, you're not," he insisted, "You are just a person trying to keep their sanity in a fucking _insane_ life. You've been through way more than you're fair share of pain Eleanor, you don't ever have to apologize for protecting yourself."

As she looked back at him she felt a familiar warmness in her diaphragm. The same one she felt every time there their eyes had met for as long as she could remember knowing him. The feeling reminded her of their somehow now _even more_ complicated situation.

"I don't know how much he knows about you," she told him nervously.

He took a deep breath. That was the thing that scared him most. The king of england was not necessarily inclined to be merciful toward someone who had tried to exploit his little sister and fucked his mom in the process, even if he had busted his ass and put his life on the line to make it up to her.

But he had just gotten her back. He couldn't bear to be ripped away again.

He sighed. "Don't worry about that right now, just get some rest." he told her, pushing a stray lock of hair from her face.

She nodded wearily before moving toward the bed to lie down. She grabbed his hand and pulled him with her, wrapping his arm around her waist so his chest was pressed against her back.

She couldn't say those words yet, hell, she never said them to her father and even struggled to say them to Liam, so all she could do was say it with her actions.

He heard her loud and clear and pulled her tighter against him. He stayed awake and listened to her breathing until he knew she had fallen asleep, before finally relaxing and drifting off after her.


	8. Chapter 8

**_This was another fun one to write. I just really like Robert! I mean for all I know he'll be a total prick in the actual series but for now I like my version lol._**

 ** _It's a long one but I havent updated in a few days so i owe you one ;) I was super tired when I edited it though so I apologize if it reads like a 7 year-olds journal entry._**

 ** _Anyway, Hope you guys enjoy! Your reviews keep me going!_**

* * *

Despite the late night and complete exhaustion, no one could sleep all that well. The queen rose at her normal time of seven o'clock sharp, Eleanor emerged from her room by eight, and Liam by nine thirty.

On the other hand, Robert, who had hardly made it to his bed before collapsing, was still fast asleep. Which was good, he needed rest, but it left everyone else in tense anticipation.

There was a strange awkwardness as the twins and their bodyguards sat in the grand salon, waiting for the returned prince to arrive.

Eleanor sat next to Jasper on one of the elaborately brocaded settees, close enough that she could feel his presence beside her, but not so close as to draw suspicion. She didn't want to hide their- well, whatever it was they had- but Robert's return had complicated things.

Liam and Marcus each sat in similarly decorated chairs facing the princess and her bodyguard. Liam stared blankly into space, preoccupied with his own thoughts, while Marcus kept shifting positions, clearly uncomfortable with the lapse in protocol that Liam had insisted on.

Across the large room, the Queen sat with Rachel at a long carved-wood table, discussing every last detail of Roberts return to public life. They had been going on and _on_ about timelines, announcements, interviews, appearances, parties, ceremonies, for _3 hours_. Eleanor was tempted to ask Jasper to just shoot her and put her out of her misery. When the prince finally joined them at half past twelve, she was fairly sure she heard even Marcus breath a sigh of relief.

As her big brother walked in the room she couldn't help but break into an ear-to-ear smile. He was now clean shaven and his slightly shaggy hair from last night was lightly gelled into an tousled style like he usually had it. He wore jeans with a grey v-neck sweater over a gingham shirt. He looked almost like his old self.

Eleanor stood and quickly walked toward her brother, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Honestly until right now I wasn't sure if last night was a dream," she admitted with a huff.

"I've been known to have that affect on people," he dead panned.

She couldn't help but bust up laughing into his shoulder. The feeling was so rare for her lately that she almost didn't recognize it, but Robert had her exact sense of humor, and it was what she had missed the most about him.

She released him and took a step back as Liam approached.

"You know while you were gone _I_ was the funniest brother in the family," Liam teased with a wry smile.

"Then I'm truly sorry to everyone who had to endure your comedic reign of terror," his brother told him mockingly.

Liam chuckled, pulling his brother into a breif hug.

He released him but clapped him on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back," he added sincerely.

Robert nodded with a warm smile, "It's good to be back."

He stood there a moment with his siblings, happy to be home. It all felt oddly formal though, like a holiday or something. He guessed it kind of was. Like his own personal Easter, except he wasn't _technically_ resurrected. He laughed internally, the thought was too rediculous.

"Well this is slightly weird, is it not?" he asked his siblings rhetorically. "I mean, I've never come back from the dead before so I'm not familiar with the protocol, but it's definitely a peculiar experience."

The twins security details had moved to shadow behind them. Robert quickly recognized his brothers long-time bodyguard.

"Marcus," he greeted him warmly, stepping forward and extending his hand.

Marcus reached out and shook it firmly. "It's excellent to see you again, sir."

"I hear we only recently got you back?" the prince questioned.

A guilty look came over the man's face, and Robert quickly added, "I wouldn't have stuck around either."

Marcus smiled gratefully and stepped back from the group. He had always been more comfortable observing.

Robert turned his attention to the man who he'd seen the night before as his sister's bodyguard.

"I don't believe we've officially met," he spoke, stepping toward Jasper, "but I've heard quite a bit about you Mr. Frost."

Jasper froze. _Fuck_. He was pretty sure he was about to get punched in the face again.

It took everything in him not to flinch as Robert extended his hand toward him.

"Thank you for your help in uncovering the truth. Your service to our family and our country will not be forgotten," the prince commended him.

Jasper exhaled in relief. He shook his hand and nodded, "Thank you sir."

Robert raised his eyebrows at the man's accent, "American?"

"Yes sir," he replied.

Eleanor relaxed her shoulders. Apparently he hadn't heard _everything_ about Mr. Frost.

"How'd you swing that?" he asked, curious.

"I sort of conned my way into it," Jasper answered plainly.

Robert chuckled, amused by the man's dry humor, and apparently oblivious to the tense reactions on the rest of his families faces.

"And is it everything you could hope for?" he asked the bodyguard in jest.

He sighed, "It's never boring."

Robert scoffed, "I'd bet not, being assigned to that one," he gestured toward his sister. "Anyone who can stick with her for more than a month is either a saint or mental."

Jasper huffed, "Definitely mental."

Robert smirked and turned his focus his attention to his sister, "I get it. They've finally assigned you someone who will dish it back at you," He said mockingly. "Took em long enough."

Eleanor punched her brother in the arm. "Oh fuck-off Robbie," she laughed.

Jasper could tell why he'd heard so much about Eleanor and Robert. They were two of a kind, and their bond was immediately obvious.

It was going to be even harder to be hated by the prince than he thought.

* * *

After prying their mother away from her secretary, they sat down to have a brief lunch together.

The queen informed her children that the announcement of the prince's survival was to be sent out that night. Cyrus would only be notified an hour in advance, and be denied access to Robert for 'health' reasons until the live broadcast the following day. It would be a short clip of the whole family but mainly focused on Robert. He was to say a brief message confirming his survival and his intent to reclaim his fathers crown.

Helena intended to tell them the game plan for the rest of the forseeable future, but was quickly sucked in again by Rachel and the pressing 'arrangements' for the coming weeks. The secretary and secret dominatrix had returned with full force and not one but _three_ iPads, so it was clear she meant business, and the Henstridge siblings retired back to the sitting area.

"So Liam, how much girl trouble did you get your self in while I was gone?" Robert teased.

"You have no idea," he mumbled distractedly, scrolling through his phone.

Robert chuckled. "Hey, every girl wants to be a princess. Right Len?" he teased his sister.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, I'm living the dream," she deadpanned, before standing from her seat and walking toward the tea cart at the opposite end of the room.

He watched his sister as she reached the cart and carefully poured two cups of tea. She stirred a bit of milk and a lump of sugar in one before delicately picking it up between her thumb and her first finger. She casually sashayed over to where her bodyguard was standing against the wall with his arms crossed. The man eyed her carefully before offering his hand and she gently placed the cup in his palm. Robert saw her smirk slightly before turning and walking back to the tea cart to finish preparing her own cup.

Robert was now more than a little intrigued. He knew Eleanor rarely poured her _own_ tea, let alone anyone elses.

He nudged his brother's leg with his knee to get his attention.

Liam looked up from his phone with a " _Hm?_ "

Robert nodded toward his sister and her bodyguard.

"So what's the deal with Lenny and this Jasper character?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Liam shrugged, feigning innocence, "What do you mean?"

"Cut the shit Liam, I got the same run-around from Mum," he blatantly called him out. "Why won't anyone give me a straight answer about him? I get it, he's got a thing with her. She's had flings with staff before, why is everybody so dodgy about this one?"

"It's-"

"'Complicated'," Robert finished for his brother, "Yeah, so I've heard. Now cut to the bloody chase."

Liam sighed and shifted uneasily. "You're not gonna like it."

* * *

The _second_ the lift door slid open Robert was storming into James' office.

"Are you or are you not aware of Jasper Frost's history here at the palace?" he demanded without introduction.

Hill looked up from the file he was currently reading to meet the eyes of the fuming prince. He sighed. He knew this conversation was coming eventually.

"I am," he informed the younger man, shutting the file and plopping it on his desk.

"And you just forgot to mention it while singing his praises for exposing Ted Pryce?" Robert seethed. "Would you mind explaining to me how he is not only _not_ in prison but remains employed here? and as Eleanor's detail no less!"

The prince still hadn't sat down. He was too wound-up to be confined to a seat.

James sat back in his desk chair.

"He's the best man for the job," he answered candidly.

Robert ran a hand over his face, trying to keep it together.

"With what he's done how could that possibly be true?" he pressed, turning and beginning to pace the office.

"He would die for her," Hill reasoned.

"So would any other assigned detail who _hadn't_ committed treason against the crown, the late king, and her royal highness whom he is currently serving." Robert countered, unimpressed.

"He's in love with her," the ex-bodyguard informed the prince.

He scoffed, "So is half of Notting Hill, that doesn't change anything."

James stared him down, "She's in love with him."

Robert stopped pacing. _That_ brought him pause. He had seen the way they looked at each other, but chalked it up to mere lust.

"Lenny's not that stupid," he replied, still unconvinced.

James huffed, "On the contrary, she's one of the brightest people I know, but I'm not saying he conned her into it."

"No, your saying that Eleanor fell for the man that blackmailed her and slept with our mother." Robert's eyes narrowed at Hill.

"I'm saying that perhaps she saw a kindred spirit in him," he offered.

The prince scoffed, "He is _nothing_ like her."

"A child is born to a family who's reputation would follow him his whole life. He grows up constantly paying for the sins of his parents. As he gets older he turns to illegal pursuits in an attempt to fill the gaping whole his upbringing left in him. You really think they have nothing in common?" the elder man challenged.

" _She's_ not a criminal." Robert stated firmly.

James nodded briefly, "You're right, she's not. But had she not been born in a palace would that still be the case? Diplomatic immunity isn't a luxury most drug addicts are blessed with."

Normally he would have punched anyone out for describing his sister in such a way, but Len had told him how James was a big part of her getting clean, and he could tell by the man's tone that 'drug addict' was more of a medical diagnosis than a cheap shot at her reputation. However, that didn't mke him feel better about Frost being anywhere near her.

"And I'm just supposed to trust that this con-artist has her best interests in mind?" he asked incredulously, finally deciding to take a seat in the chair across from Hill.

Hill realized the man wasn't just going to take his word for it. He needed to know more.

"After you were reported dead your sister began a steady decline, and when your father was killed that decline turned into a tailspin," he informed the prince, "She bounced around from continent to continent for every seedy rave she could find, snorting coke, doing PCP, LSD, MDMA, GHB, and pretty much every other acronymed substance she could get her hands on, in an ill-advised attempt to numb herself after the worst year of her life. Now thanks to your shit uncle she had no security, and word like that travels fast. Do you know what the ransom is on an ex-princess? because the drug cartels certainly did."

Robert's jaw clenched. He hadn't realized just how much danger Eleanor had willingly put herself in.

James continued, "Frost followed her around the world for months protecting her without pay or even so much as a thank you. Not that she owed him one with the shit he'd put her through, but the point remains; he did it because he wanted to make sure she was safe. So if it's his commitment to her well-being that you're worried about, I'd say he's proven himself."

Robert sat with a steely composure. His fiery rage had cooled a bit, but it's embers still glowed. He was angry. Angry with Jasper Frost? Yes, but more angry at himself for being gone for so long that any of that could happen. He should of been there, should have protected her. She meant the most to him and she had lost more than anyone else in his absence.

James could see the guilt in the prince, but the irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. This wasn't the first time he'd spoken about the princess with a man who both loved her and had failed her.

He sighed, "All that said, it's not my place to defend a criminal. If you want him gone just say the word and he is. However, before you make a decision, I implore you to talk to Princess Eleanor." He stood and re-buttoned his suit jacket. "Now my apologies your highness but my daughter will be arriving home from school any moment and I promised her I would be waiting at the gates."

Robert stood from his seat, nodded wordlessly to the silver-haired man and headed for the lift.

He didn't know how it happened but he was now more confused than he had been when he arrived. His protective instincts told him to jettison Frost immediately and without hesitation. However he was no longer sure whether that would hurt Eleanor more than letting him stay.

Of everything James had told him, he was definitely right about one thing; he needed to talk to his sister.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Hello beautiful people. I'm excited for you guys to see where I'm headed with this. As you may start to notice, chapters are becoming longer as we get into the thick of the story. There's gonna be some serious drama and maybe a few cliffhangers depending on how cruel I feel ;)**_

* * *

The announcement of Prince Robert's survival was broadcast on all public television and radio stations at seven o'clock pm.

The media instantly erupted into a total frenzy. Every TV station in the country interrupted their scheduled programming with the breaking news, and most around the globe quickly followed suit. The whole world had turned their focus on England.

Eleanor sat on her bed scrolling through her twitter feed. '#Robertlives' was the number one worldwide trending topic. Everyone from actors and musicians to world leaders and politicians were all weighing in on the topic.

Eventually she grew tired of social media and tossed her phone on her bed next to her. She closed her eyes and sighed. The crowd outside, which had been steadily growing since the announcement, showed no signs of diminishing and it was nearing ten o'clock. She cursed her teenage-self for picking the bedroom nearest the gates.

She'd had a stress headache since lunch. Out of bloody nowhere Robert had stormed out of the sitting room, shooting a glare toward her and Jasper on his way out. She'd immediately looked over at Liam, who's guilty expression told her everything she needed to know.

Robert was MIA the rest of the day and the anticipation and uncertainty of the conversation to come had started to get to her. She rubbed her temples trying to soothe the ache that had settled behind her eyes. It was futile as the roar of the crowd outside only increased with each passing minute.

The horde was now at least thirty people deep, there had to be over a thousand in total. Devoted citizens cheered, celebrating the news of his miraculous return. Paparazzi and reporters swarmed, desperate to be the first to catch a glimpse of the prince. Anti-monarchist protesters rallied, proclaiming the whole thing a conspiracy. Even some street vendors roamed the area having seized the sudden opportunity. It was an absolute circus.

Her phone buzzed next to her and she quickly picked it up to check it. She growed in frustration as she found it was yet _another_ of her fair-weather friends who were nowhere to be found when Robert 'died', but now that he was alive texted her like they were besties. Her phone had been blowing up with them all night.

The only reason she even continued to check her messages was in hopes that _something_ would come from Jasper. Apparently there was a 'situation' after Helena informed Cyrus of Robert's return -she didn't know the details but apparently something to do with a 18th century Mortimer dueling pistol- and Hill had enough to deal with already so Jasper was the lucky one assigned to take care of it. He'd said he would be back as soon as he could, but that was four hours ago and still not even a text.

Eleanor groaned and pushed her self off the bed. She slid her phone in her back pocket and grabbed a pair of fuzzy boots off her floor before shoving her feet in one at a time. She trudged across her room and exited, shutting the door behind her. If she stayed in there any longer she was going to lose it.

She walked over to the secret wall panel and pushed it open but stopped herself before entering, remembering her promise to stay in the palace until he was back.

She closed the panel and sighed exasperatedly.

What now? She couldn't go back to her room. It was like being stuck in a physical manifestation of her brain, graffiti and all.

Her usual escape of the balcony was off limits until the protective lockdown was lifted, and even if it hadn't been it wasn't exactly private with the paps hovering around like vultures. The terrace seemed much less appealing, now that her stashes were gone, and the throne room? well, lets just say she couldnt remember being sober in there since, um, ever.

That left what.. the library? She laughed to herself a little. Lord knows the last time she read a book, but since she could no longer just light a joint when she was stressed, she was willing to try anything to distract her mind.

She made her way through the maze of hallways until finally finding the beautiful carved doors that lead to the book room. She pushed them open firmly but was startled to find the large room already occupied. Robert looked up at her from one of the armchairs, he had a book open in one hand.

She awkwardly froze in the doorway, "Sorry, I didnt realize you were in here..."

He shook his head, "No its fine. Come in."

Eleanor closed the door gently behind her.

Robert shut the book he was holding and she recognized the cover. She'd often seen her father reading it in leisure.

"Hamlet?" She mused, cautiously walking closer.

"Dad's favorite," he smiled sadly.

She took a seat on the devan across from his chair.

"Drink?" He gestured toward the scotch on the table between them.

She shook her head. Her headache didn't need anymore assistance.

Robert leaned forward, grabbed the crystal decanter and poured himself a bit. He replaced the stopper and grabbed the glass. He took a sip before looking back at Eleanor with a complicated expression.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." he told her.

She sighed, knowing where this was headed. "You know what, I think I will take that drink."

He chuckled, "Your not in trouble Len."

"Then why do I have the same feeling I had when Mum was about to tell me I was being sent to finishing school?" she quipped as she grabbed the decanter and poured herself a generous glass.

He smirked, "because you have trust issues."

"Yeah, tell me about it." she mumbled, raising the cup to her lips.

His expression darkened and she braced herself for the impending conversation.

"I know about Jasper," he told her plainly.

She took a deep breath through her nose.

"How much did they tell you?" she asked carefully.

He sighed, "Enough."

"Did you have him arrested?" she asked with a new theory as to why he hadn't been responding.

"I wanted to," he admitted, "but Mr. Hill insisted that I talk to you first."

She made a mental note to thank James later.

"He thinks you're in love with the guy," her brother revealed.

Eleanor stared at her scotch. As always Hill had a clearer perception of the situation than she thought.

"Are you?" he pressed, sensing her stress.

Her heart rate escalated as she struggled with the answer. She hadn't said those words aloud yet, but saying no would be a lie, and she didn't want to lie to her brother.

" _Yes,_ " she admitted quietly, ashamed of how naive she must seem.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to grasp the full situation. He grabbed his scotch and took a sip before leaning back in his chair and crossing a leg up to rest his ankle on his knee.

"I just don't understand how everyone seems to trust him," he confessed.

"He's the one who found-"

He cut her off, "I know what he did Len but I also know what he's done."

She couldn't argue with him. She knew how it all sounded.

"I just worry about you," he told her sincerely. "So many times when you've had the opportunity for something really great, you get spooked and then you self sabotage. The drugs-"

"I've been clean for 3 months." She cut him off that time.

"And I am so proud of you for that," he praised her honestly, "but I also know that your favorite drug of choice is questionable men."

She looked down and shook her head.

"I just dont wan't you to blow your chance at the life you've always wanted on something that has an expiration date."

" _the life I've always wanted._ " She scoffed under her breath.

The life she'd always wanted was to be enough for someone without having to be something she wasn't.

"And what, pray tell, is this grand chance?" she asked him cynically.

He took a deep breath, choosing his next words carefully.

"I talked to Beck today," he revealed.

Eleanor took a large swig of the whiskey. _And there it is,_ she thought to herself.

"He told me that he left his wife," Robert revealed, watching her intently. "for you," he added.

Eleanor pressed her lips together and nodded, not meeting her brothers eyes.

"Now I know I've been gone for a year but last time I saw you I would have bet good money that twysden beckwith leaving his wife was the first thing you wished for when blowing out your birthday candles."

"And you probably would have been right," she said dryly. "but alot can change in a year robbie."

"His feelings for you haven't."

She sighed sadly. "Robbie we tried, we really did, but it wasn't right. Not anymore."

"Because some american grifter decided to turn over a new leaf?" he asked incredulously.

"Because Beck is in love with who he wants me to be! not who I am!" she yelled in frustration.

"He doesn't want to change you, he just wants you to be the best version of yourself," Robert defended his friend. "The version that _Dad_ knew you could be."

She lifted the scotch glass and knocked it back quickly. It was probably some extravagant brand worth thousands of pounds but it might as well have been a five pound bottle from a local shop. She could never taste the difference anyways.

He just had to bring up dad. He knew how guilty she felt for not living up to his expectations.

Robert sighed, "Len, I just want you to be happy. Thats all I've ever wanted for you. It's all _Dad_ ever wanted for you."

She forced a smile "I know."

"Please just think about it before it's too late. He has to move on eventually, and I don't want you to have any regrets."

She saw the concern on her brother's face. He truly was good hearted. He really meant it that he wanted her to be happy. She just didn't have the heart to tell him that her idea of happy wasn't what it used to be.

"I will," she conceded.

He nodded gently, trying to believe that.

Eleanor was suddenly very tired. She sighed and stood from her seat.

"Good night big brother," she told him with love as she leaned over to kiss his cheek.

She swiftly exited the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**_First off, I'm sorry. I know you guys all probably hate me for not updating for 2 weeks, (trust me I hate myself more) but I promise it was worth it because..._**

 ** _This ones rated M._**

 ** _Your welcome._**

* * *

She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling.

She wore only her undergarments, it was too warm for much else.

It was one of those rare nights in an english summer when the heat doesn't let up, and the air just sits stagnant and thick with humidity.

It didn't help the situation outside much either, the people didn't even need jackets.

It had to be nearing 1 am by now.

Her phone buzzed and she reflexively grabbed it.

 _Robert: Beck will be here in the morning. Thought I should let you know._

She forcefully threw her phone down on the bed. She rolled over to bury her face in a pillow and yelled into it at the top of her lungs.

"Bad time?" a voice called from across the room.

She shot up-right and turned to look toward the doorway. Jasper stood there with a slightly amused look on his face.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded, brushing her hair back out of her face.

"Escorting Cyrus to St. Mary's," he told her, sounding thoroughly exhausted. He shut the door and walked toward her, tiredly shedding his suit jacket.

"Did he shoot himself?" she inquired just a bit too hopefully.

He nearly cracked a smile at her cynicism. "No, he was definitely aiming for your mom, but luckily for her, 200 year-old gun powder isn't very reliable. The pistol basically blew up in his hand. He's lucky he didn't lose any fingers but it burned him pretty good. He should be fine but they're holding him under psychiatric observation for 48 hours." he told her, taking a seat on the bed and falling on to his back with a huff. "Hill didn't have a free man to take over shift until a half-hour ago."

She laid down next to him, propping her head up on her hand. "Sounds like your night was almost better than mine."

He turned his head toward her inquisitively.

"I talked to Robert," she revealed, watching his reaction carefully. "He knows."

Jasper looked back up at the ceiling for a moment, processing the information.

"So my days are numbered then," he concluded bleakly.

She scoffed, "Well with _that_ attitude..."

"Len he's going to be king in two days."

"That doesn't mean he can control me."

"I don't anyone has any illusions about controlling you, but it's pretty obvious that me being in prison would put a damper on our relationship."

She let out a tense sigh, thinking of what her brother had also said.

"Well as hot as the idea of conjugal visits is," she teased, "I don't think having you arrested is his plan."

He raised an eyebrow, "Then what is?"

She wasn't exactly sure how to tell him. She decided to just come out with it.

" _Beck_ is coming tomorrow."

He scoffed incredulously, "Because he found out your not pining over him?"

She shoved him lightly, "No you wanker, because he's Robert's best friend."

"But he's not over you is he?" he countered.

She avoided his gaze, "I don't know."

Jasper figured that wasn't true but decided not to press her further.

"So what time does the _Lord_ arrive?" he asked with a slight edge to his voice.

"In the morning," she told him, noticing the tone. "Are you _jealous_ Mr. Frost?"

He chuckled once, as if the thought amused him. "No."

She pushed herself up and threw her leg over to straddle him.

"Oh really?" she taunted him, playing with his tie in her slim fingers.

"I have no need to be," he said confidently, sliding his hands from her thighs to her waist.

She deftly undid the tie, pulling it from around his neck, never breaking eye contact.

"How do you figure?" she asked seductively, undoing the top buttons of his shirt.

He didn't answer, but gave her a look that could only be described as predatory.

He abruptly spun her with him off the bed and onto the floor, making her let out a high pitched yelp. He did it so quickly and smoothly that for a moment she wasn't sure exactly how she ended up on the ground. He loomed over her dangerously close with a self-satisfied smirk, feeling her sudden shortness of breath.

"Because I'm the only one who can make you sound like that," he teased in a whisper.

She scoffed, trying not to smile. "Arrogant prick."

"You love it," he said smugly, dropping his head to capture her lips with his.

Before she could protest her body melted into it, one hand tightening around his bicep and the other his neck. He kissed her thoroughly before breaking away to start trailing his way down her neck.

 _"You love me,"_ He added softly against her skin, making her heart skip.

His lips made their way down her chest and abdomen. Her breath hitched in her throat as he made his way lower. He hooked his fingers around the waistband of her silky shorts and yanked them off. He grabbed her legs throwing one over his shoulder and spreading the other one wide before claiming her with his mouth, making her gasp.

One hand reached out to brace herself against the leg of her bed and the other reflexively tangled in his hair. She whimpered as he slid two fingers inside of her and started stroking her g-spot. When he started to gently roll her clit between his teeth, it was all she could do not to scream. He was a goddamn artist with his tongue. He sucked and nipped in all the right places.

After only a minute she was so close, she could feel the first fits of orgasm threaten to overcome her. Suddenly he pulled away and sat back on his knees, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand with a smug look.

She propped herself up on her elbows, out of breath.

"What the hell?"

He smirked, undoing his belt buckle.

"You dont get to get there without me," he goaded her, unzipping his pants.

She shook her head incredulously, "Unbelievable."

He quickly stooped back over her making her draw a sharp breath as her back hit the floor.

He suddenly pushed inside of her, making her moan. He started slow thrusts but quickly picked up pace bringing her right back to the edge of ecstasy. She couldn't help the high pitched noises that kept escaping her lips as he fucked her.

"I don't here you complaining now," he taunted in a low, raspy whisper.

She tried to keep it together, but if he kept talking like that she wasn't going to last very long.

"You need me. You need _this_. And so do I." He growled in her ear, nearly making her come right then and there.

He could feel her losing it beneath him as he chased her over the edge.

"Jasper... I can't... I'm..." he silenced her with his lips on hers, swallowing her whines. She met him thrust for thrust as she felt herself pass the point of no return. Finally it was all too much and she cried out in pleasure as she tightened around him, riding out the waves of her orgasm as he made haste to completion. After only a few more jolts she could feel the tension in his body release as he spilled inside of her.

He didn't pull away. They held onto eachother for a moment, catching their breath and regaining their bearings. He kissed her once more before rolling off of her and onto his back beside her. She followed his movement and rolled over so her front was pressed against his body, her head on his shoulder and arm resting on his chest.

"And I thought you were tired," she mused.

He cracked a half smile. "Of babysitting cyrus? damn straight. Of fucking you 'til you scream? _Never_."

She giggled and pressed a kiss to his chest before pushing herself up into a sitting position. She grabbed her discarded knickers and slid them back up her legs before attempting to stand, but Jasper quickly reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down against him.

"Where to you think you're going?" he challenged, nuzzling the side of her neck affectionately.

"Bed." She countered, smiling but refusing to relax into his arms. "We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a mess."

"We can handle it." He told her distractedly, trying to bring her back into the moment with him.

"Can we?" her tone darkened.

He gave up his intentions of distracting her from her worries. He released her and she pushed herself up to stand.

She walked over to the window and peaked around the curtain. The crowd had barely thinned at all.

He watched her face as it was illuminated by the moon light. Her light-green eyes were heavy with stress.

"This guy has you pretty wound up."

"It's not like that." she scoffed, walking back over to the bed.

"Not like what?"

"Like however you're thinking it is." she asserted as she plopped down beside him on the bed.

"I get it," he told her, "you guys have history."

She sighed, "It's a long, fucked-up story."

"Can't be worse than ours," he teased.

She smacked his chest lightly with the back of her hand. "Careful bodyguard."

He smirked at the old moniker but he could hear a twinge of anxiety in her voice.

"You dont have to tell me if you don't want to," he told her honestly.

She turned her head to meet his eyes. They stared back at her earnestly.

"I know, but I do want to. It's just... complicated."

He raised his arm over her head and she rolled over so she was pressed up against him again, her head on his shoulder like it had been before. His fingers gently traced the skin of her arm that lay on his chest.

She took a deep breath before starting. "He was my first love. My first... alot of things. We were never together. Not really. People like us, we do what we have to when we have to, which doesn't leave much room for commitment. So mostly we just slept together. It was easier that way. No jealousy, no guilt, or at least that's the theory."

"Sounds lonely," he commented.

"Yeah, well, I didn't do drugs just for the weight loss," she remarked cynically.

"We did have our moments though." She told him almost whistfully. "We used to fantasize about the future, as if we ever had a chance. He would tell me how one day we would run away together. Steal a plane or a boat, change our names and live another life. Travel the world and see from a new perspective. "

Her tone changed as she continued, "but that day never came. His father was killed in a car wreck completely out of the blue. I don't know if it would have been major news in america but over here it was a national tragedy. It changed him. He inherited his fathers title, estate, and responsibilities. He was his father's only son so he needed to secure the family legacy. He needed to marry, and he became a somehow even more eligible bachelor than he had been before. Every highborn bachelorette in europe lined up for a chance at him." She sighed, "That's when he met Lady Abigail Williams, the honourable daughter of the Earl of Lichfield. She was perfect. The right age, well educated, and well-mannered. She wasn't _entirely_ horrible looking either." She paused, keeping herself from getting to worked up. "They were engaged within the year."

He scoffed, "You were a goddamn princess how the hell was anything better than that?"

"My title didn't matter half as much as my reputation. I was the monarchy's greatest shame, her royal ' _high_ '-ness. He was the newest and youngest member of the house of lords and he needed to be taken seriously. That never would have happened with me by his side."

"So he just cut you loose," he huffed.

"He told me that I was the love of his life, but I was a ship at sea and he needed solid land. _She_ was solid, so he buried whatever feelings he had for me and he married her."

He shook his head in disbelief. "If he could've had you then he was a fucking idiot."

She smiled at his defensive nature. It was one of the things she loved most about him. "Yeah, well, nothing is ever simple. It turned out he wasn't the only one settling for stability. The bitch had been sleeping with one of the other barons for years. Except _he_ was married, with children. She'd only married Beck to secure her future, and she didn't stop seeing the guy. When Beck found out the whole thing started to fall apart. They kept up appearances for a couple years but by the time he showed up in Monaco their divorce was nearly finalized." She scoffed cynically, "For a moment there I thought maybe, just maybe, we'd finally got our timing right. But then she called. And he left. Again."

She sighed sadly, "When he came back it was too late. I'd let go. I'd had to. I couldn't keep feeling like that. We tried to salvage things but it became increasingly clear to me that he was only in love with the idea of who I could be, not who I am, and I couldn't keeping acting like I would ever be her."

He could hear the tears welling in her eyes in the strain of her voice.

"I realized recently how much of my life I've spent pretending to be someone else, and I don't want to do it anymore." She propped herself up so her chin rested on her hand on his chest. "Which of course always leads me back to you Jasper. The one person who might actually be more screwed up than me, who might also be the only person to really love me for who I am."

He brushed a tear from her face and ran his hand through her hair.

"And who I," she continued, "despite my better judgement, find myself..." she trailed off as she looked at him, startled by how much he had come to mean to her. She knew she was totally screwed. She was completely and totally in love with this guy and the both knew it.

She cleared her throat, "who I might actually fancy quite a bit as well."

He tried not to smile at the way she'd tripped over her words trying to explain her feelings. She was so fucking readable. She didn't have to say much to reveal exactly how she felt.

She caught the smug glint in his eye. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," he plead innocence.

She scowled at him, "Yeah, but you wanted to."

He didn't gloat, just grabbed the side of her face and pulled her lips to his. That was all the validation his ego needed.

He knew she loved him. She hadn't said it yet, but he didn't want her to until she was ready. It sort of meant more that way.


End file.
